Lord of the Rings II The return of Sauron
by XMark
Summary: REWRITE FROM SCRATCH! The ring is found 1000 years later in a modern day middle-earth. John Woo style action combines with epic fantasy! And Nazgul on motorcycles! PG-13 for action violence.
1. Chapter 1 An unexpected pairing

CHAPTER 1 - AN UNEXPECTED PAIRING   
  
Uglakh leaned against a tree heavily, resting from his long travels. He looked to his left and right. Trees everywhere. The landscape seemed so alien to him after spending most of his life in the barren, deserted plains of Mordor. He could not deny that the sight of life growing all around him had somewhat of a comforting effect, but at the same time it made him a bit claustrophobic. It didn't help that he stood out like a sore thumb. A big green sore thumb; Uglakh was an orc, and orcs were few and far between in the Shire. He had already passed through two predominantly Hobbit-populated villages since Bree, and in both tried to ignore the short curly-haired creatures staring up at him strangely. It was starting to get to him. Then again, everything was getting to him since he had left the ring at home. The ring was calling to him, and the further he traveled the stronger he felt it.   
  
Uglakh shook the feeling off and walked back to his car. Turning the key in the ignition he looked at the sign on the left side of the road.   
  
Gray Havens Airport   
40 Miles   
  
The car whined in protest for a couple of seconds, then clunked and sputtered to life, a sound accompanied by the harsh orcish heavy metal music from his favourite band Uruk-Hai. He grinned and bobbed his head to the music as he accelerated down the forest road.   
  
-   
  
Jimmy Baggins looked out the window of the airplane nervously. The waters of the sea were behind, and there was land below. He was relieved because it meant that the trip was almost over, but also couldn't get the thought out of his head that a plane crash at this moment would be much more potentially fatal than a crash in the water.   
A dwarf in the seat beside him chuckled. "Don't like flyin' much, do ye?"   
Jimmy tore his view away from the window. He looked at the dwarf and forced a smile. "Is it that obvious?"   
"Aye, that it is." said the dwarf. "My suggestion'd be to stop lookin' out the window all the time."   
"Excellent idea." said Jimmy, quickly pulling the shade over the window.   
Jimmy's attention was pulled away by an incredibly attractive elvish stewardess who stood in the aisle.   
"Thank you for flying Gwaihir Airlines." she said with a smile. "We will be landing in Gray Havens airport in approximately five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and make sure your trays are in the upright and locked position. Have a nice day!"   
  
After the plane landed, Jimmy resisted the urge to kiss the ground, and instead looked around to see the person he was supposed to meet there. It didn't take long; a six-foot tall orc towered above the crowd of hobbits. Jimmy shifted the heavy pack on his back to a comfortable position, then walked up to the orc and extended his hand.   
"Good afternoon." said Jimmy. "You must be Uglakh."  
"Yes." Uglakh said abruptly, reaching down to shake Jimmy's hand.   
"My name is Jimmy Baggins, and I have been sent to investigate your claim." said Jimmy as they started walking out of the airport.   
"Hello." Uglakh said.   
Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Do you say more than one word at a time?"   
"I sorry." Uglakh said haltingly. "I not good at common speech."   
"And I'm absolutely horrible at orcish. This'll be fun..." Jimmy said. "Now, the important question: do you have it with you?"   
"No."   
Jimmy stopped. "And why not?"   
Uglakh shrugged his shoulders. "I think it not good idea because I hear that ring is very powerful, can effect thoughts and do bad things to people."   
"Where did you put it? Is it somewhere safe?"   
"I leave it back home."   
"Home... that would be Udun, in northwest Mordor, wouldn't it?"   
"Yes."   
Jimmy sighed. "This really doesn't help us. There aren't any airports closer to Udun than this one, so we're going to have to drive all the way there. And this doesn't really add to the credibility of your story."   
"I know, but..."   
Jimmy started walking again, and Uglakh followed. "Do you know how many calls we have received from people claiming to have found the One Ring? So many have turned out to be hoaxes or publicity stunts. And we have to investigate every single one, no matter how wild or outrageous the claim may sound."   
"Who is 'we'?" asked Uglakh.   
"The fellowship. I'll explain more later... after I see the ring."   
  
They left the airport and walked down a flight of steps to the underground parking lot. Jimmy gasped when he saw Uglakh's car, the oldest, most beat-up vehicle he had ever seen in his life.   
"Is this thing going to last all the way to Mordor?" Jimmy said half-sarcastically.   
"It make it here okay." said Uglakh. "Should be good for trip home."   
Uglakh popped the trunk open and Jimmy loaded his backpack in.  
"Hold on a second" said Jimmy. He unzipped the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out three photographs.   
They both went inside and Uglakh started the car, the sound of Uruk-Hai roaring in Jimmy's ears.   
"Agh! What the hell is that?" yelled Jimmy.   
"Pretty good, is it?" said Uglakh with a smile, bobbing his head to the rythm.   
"Turn it down!" screamed Jimmy, his hands to his ears.   
Uglakh lowered the volume to a somewhat tolerable level. "You not like orcish music?"   
"You call that music? Sorry, not my cup of tea."   
Uglakh shrugged and accelerated out of the parking garage.   
Jimmy showed the photographs in his hand to Uglakh. "Back to business. These photographs you sent are essentially the only reason that I am here today. As fantastic as your story sounds, enough elements fit in place that Gandalf personally authorized and financed my trip to the Gray Havens."   
"What you mean?"   
Jimmy flipped to the second picture in the pile. "I like how you placed it next to a pencil in this picture, so we could accurately measure the ring in proportion to it. The elvish writing on the side is clear and legible, and exactly the same size as our records indicate the writing was. That, coupled with the recent eruption of mount Doom leads us to believe that there is a significant possibility that the one ring has returned."   
"What we can do now?" asked Uglakh.   
"I don't know, but Gandalf probably will. But, on the other hand, what I'm thinking is you probably just did your homework, read through some of the historical records of the war of the ring, the Tolkien edition maybe..."  
"No! What reason I have to lie about this?" Uglakh grunted.   
"I don't know. But it's my job to be skeptical. Now, could you go through your story with me one more time?"   
"Okay. It start one morning..."   
  
-   
  
Uglakh woke up after a good night's sleep, the first restful night he had had for a week. Being fired from his job at the local Elessar Burger had left him in a bad financial state, and it would take a lot of sacrifice and creative budget balancing just to keep his apartment. Electric bills weren't as much of a problem as before, he had replaced most of his house's lighting with fixtures made of that weird elvish metal... he forgot what it was called, but it was the type that glowed when orcs were close to it. He enjoyed the soft blue color that filled his house, though at times it made him depressed. Something that was not helped by the fact that he lived alone.   
  
However, this morning there seemed to be a different color, a much more grayish tint surrounding him. He pulled himself forcibly out of bed and looked out the window. At first glance he thought that it was snowing outside, a rare sight in Udun, and quite unlikely considering that it was summer. He quickly put on a robe and stepped onto his balcony. His nose and throat were immediately irritated by something in the air, causing him to cough. Looking at the swirls of particles kicked up by his feet, he realized that it was not snow, but ash. It covered his balcony, most of the side of the apartment building, and the streets of Udun down below. Wondering what could have happened he ran back inside and turned on his TV. Reception was pretty bad; he had to adjust the antennas on his TV to get a partially clear picture.   
  
"...rescue crews are still forced to hold back in certain areas around Mount Doom where there may be survivors. The unpredictable lava flows present too much of a risk. So far the official death toll is at 434, but it is predicted to rise to at least three times that much when all are accounted for. People in surrounding areas are encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible, and wear face masks when outside to protect your lungs from the flying ash that has spread all over Mordor."  
Uglakh's attention was taken away from the TV when he heard a metallic clink from outside. He walked out onto the balcony again, and saw something half-buried in the ash. A small golden ring. He reached down and picked it up, a sudden shiver running through his body. He gazed intently at the ring and saw that something was written in glowing elvish letters. He couldn't read it; he had forgotten the little bit of elvish he had learned back in highschool. To his surprise, the glowing writing began to fade away slowly, until it completely disappeared. At that moment something clicked into his mind; a book that he had tried to read once but had given up on. He rushed back inside to his desk and opened up a cabinet full of books. He searched through the pile and found what he was looking for. "Lord of the Rings: an account of the ancient history of Middle Earth. By JRR Tolkien (orcish translation by Zylka Numbluk)".   
  
-   
  
"So, that's when you made the mental connection with the story of the one ring?" asked Jimmy.   
"Yes. I remember the book because it very racist toward orcs. That why I stop reading it before."   
"Some might call it racism, but it's historical fact that Sauron used orcs in his armies to dominate the world."   
"He use humans too. Do not forget."   
"Good point." said Jimmy.   
  
They continued driving along the great east highway for 11 hours until the misty mountains loomed ahead of them. They stopped at the Rivendell Motel for the night. Uglakh fell asleep instantly, but Jimmy found himself stirring around in his bed, like some external force was working to keep his mind occupied. The stress getting to him, he left the room, took out his cell phone, and dialed a number.   
"It's very late. This better be important." came the gruff voice on the other end of the line.   
"Gandalf, it's Jimmy. I'm phoning because... well.."   
"Yes?"   
Jimmy took in a deep breath. "It's just this feeling I'm getting. Normally I wouldn't call you about it but ever since I met this guy, I've had some kind of gut feeling that he's telling the truth."   
"Where are you now?"   
"The Rivendell Motel. Look, this must sound pretty stupid to you. I know it sounds dumb to me. All my logical thoughts and previous experiences tell me that this is a hoax... but that damn feeling..."   
"I have felt it too. This just clinched it for me. When do you think you will reach Udun?"   
"We should be there tomorrow evening if everything goes all right."   
"I will meet you there. Do not do anything with the ring until I have arrived. Do I make myself clear?"   
"Yes, sir."   
Jimmy hung up and went back to the hotel room. His mind was more at ease now that he knew Gandalf would be there to help him.   
  
-   
  
Late that night, somewhere on the Highway between Rivendell and Mordor, "The Wild Men", Middle Earth's toughest motorcycle gang were gathered together at a bar for a drinking binge. The bartender looked to the entrance of the bar and saw eight men dressed entirely in black robes that concealed their faces. Sensing trouble, he immediately withdrew to a back room.   
Ripper, the leader of the gang let out a hearty laugh and walked up to the men in black. "What's this here? You guys just come from a costume party?"   
The rest of the gang laughed with him. Their laugh was cut short by the sinister voice of one of the men in black. "Give us your horses."   
Ripper raised an eyebrow. "Our 'horses'? You better not mean our bikes because if you do that means I'm just gonna have to cut your throat open."   
The man in black didn't flinch. "Give us your horses or die."   
Ripper took out a switchblade and pointed it at the man in black's face. "What the fuck are you gonna do, bitch? Do you know exactly who it is that you are fucking with right now?"   
All eight of the men in black drew swords. Ripper immediately dropped his switchblade and raised his hands. "Okay, you can..." Ripper's sentence was cut short along with his head, which bounced off a table, knocking over a bottle of beer before landing on the floor.   
"Give us your horses." the man in black said again.   
The other Wild Men all threw their motorcycle keys at their feet.   
"Thank you." said the man in black, one of the eight remaining Nazgul who had reawakened when the ring had returned. And now the Nazgul rode again, this time on two wheels. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Journey to the South

CHAPTER 2 - THE JOURNEY TO THE SOUTH   
  
"Hurry up!" said Jimmy, already in the passenger side seat of Uglakh's car.   
"One second." answered Uglakh. He put a coin into a vending machine and got a bag of Lembas Krunchies. "For the road."   
They set off early in the morning, just as the sun was beginning to peak over the majestic Misty Mountains to the east. They took the main highway south, along the edge of the mountains. After a few hours, Uglakh slowed down and took a left turn onto a two-lane eastward road.  
"What are you doing?" asked Jimmy.  
"Trust me." said Uglakh. "This is shortcut."  
Jimmy peered out the window at a sign.  
  
Caradhras pass - 3 miles.  
  
"Caradhras..." Jimmy said slowly. "I know there's something about that in the Tolkien books... I dunno."  
"You really believe the Tolkien books?" asked Uglakh.   
"For the most part, yes. I know that there is significant archeological and recorded evidence that the battles described in the books took place, though maybe they were more dramatized in the books."  
"What about ring?"  
"That's where I'm much more skeptical. The idea of such a little ring having so much power seems a bit ridiculous to me, I have to admit. But if it's true, and you have the ring, we have to be very careful. That's why I brought this."  
Jimmy pulled a Sting 9mm pistol out of a holster in his jacket. It was a relatively small gun, but looked large in his hobbit hands.   
"I not like guns." said Uglakh.   
"Sorry." said Jimmy, holstering the Sting again.  
  
They drove along the eastward road until they were on the slopes of the snow-capped Caradhras mountain. The road was long and winding, and the further they drove, the colder and fiercer the weather became. Little by little, the snow started to fall. The snow and the wind increased with time until it was a blinding blizzard which piled up on the windshield faster than the wipers could push it off, forcing them to cautiously slow down. After a slow and very white half hour, the form of a wooden road block emerged out of the snow, a police car with flashing lights next to it. Uglakh brought the car to a stop. A policeman in heavy winter clothing walked up to Uglakh.   
"Excuse me, sir, but you're going to have to turn around. There's been an accident."   
Uglakh strained to look through the snow and managed to see the crumpled taillights of a wrecked car, and the lights of several emergency vehicles pale in the distance.   
"Is there another pass through Caradhras?" asked Jimmy.   
"No, and I wouldn't advise it either. Even without this in front of you, the conditions are much too dangerous for driving. I'm sorry, you'll have to find another way to get wherever you're going."   
Uglakh muttered an orcish swear word and turned the car around. Almost instantly, the weather began to clear up. As they drove back, Jimmy remembered the first Lord of the Rings book, and how Caradhras had not let the first fellowship pass through. It seemed that the mountain hadn't quite forgotten in the thousand years that had passed. Whatever story the ring would tell, Caradhras would have no part in it.   
  
After an hour of driving along the edge of Caradhras, Uglakh squinted his eyes and looked at a line of headlights in the distance, eight of them moving toward them.   
"Who can be that?" asked Uglakh.   
As the headlights approached, Jimmy's eyes went wide. Eight figures dressed in black, forms that he had seen in numerous books, both historical accounts and fictional works, forms that signified all that is evil. The Nazgul, but with black horses replaced by black motorcycles. The Nazgul in the lead drew a sword and pointed it at the lone car, letting out a hideous shriek that chilled them to the bone.   
Uglakh yelled out an orcish swear word, then turned to Jimmy.   
"What we do?"   
The Nazgul pulled even closer, their dark cloaks flying behind them in the wind. The other seven pulled swords. Half of them seperated to one side of the road, with the other half on the other.   
"Uhhh... I... uh..." Jimmy stuttered, grasping the Sting 9mm in its holster. "Ram them!"   
Uglakh floored the gas. Jimmy pulled out his Sting, and started to roll down his window. He lifted himself up and leaned out the window. He aimed as well as he could and tried to shoot the lead Nazgul. At the moment he pulled the trigger, the rush of adrenaline hit him and the world slowed down. He saw the flash from the muzzle slowly form and saw the impact in the middle of the Black Rider's body, which knocked it off its motorcycle. He felt the recoil of the gun almost yank it out of his hands, something he was unprepared for since he had never shot a gun before. Midway through the Nazgul's fall it threw its sword toward the car. It spun through the air sideways and smashed into the windshield. Uglakh ducked to avoid the spinning sword and the glass fragments, slamming on the brakes out of instinct. The tires screeched on the icy ground and the car started to spin out of control. It veered off the road, up a slight incline on the side of the mountain and crashed sideways into a tree. Jimmy and Uglakh were pushed into their seats by two airbags that popped up on impact. Outside the car the seven Nazgul on motorbikes suddenly turned around and sped away from them.   
"Why they leave?" asked Uglakh, pushing the airbag away from his face.   
  
The answer was riding towards them on a motorcycle of its own. It was an elf with long blond hair and a long white leather jacket who was now accelerating and letting out a battle cry. He popped the front wheel of his motorcycle into the air, and when the first Nazgul came close, he swung the wheel, smacking it in the head and sending it off the edge of the mountain with a squealing sound. He put his front wheel down again and accelerated through the other Nazgul, weaving left and right, ducking under them as they swung their swords at him. Finally, when he broke through the Nazgul, he swerved around, bringing his motorcycle to a stop. The momentum of the turn sent the back of his jacket flying out behind him, exposing two hand-held semi-automatic crossbows in holsters strapped to his side. He planted his feet on the ground and pulled out the two crossbows, flicking on the laser sights, which painted red dots on the black cloaks of the Nazgul. He opened fire at them with both crossbows, sending a barrage of explosive-tipped darts that knocked them off their motorcycles. All but one who was now only a few feet away and gaining fast. The elf hopped onto the seat of his bike and jumped into the air, over the swinging sword of the fast-moving Nazgul. He spun around and landed on the ground just as the final Nazgul started to turn. At that moment the elf fired one shot and the explosive-tipped dart hit the engine of the Nazgul's motorcycle. The motorcycle exploded, sending the Nazgul down the side of the mountain in flames, shrieking madly all the way down.  
  
Uglakh crawled out of the car wreck and helped pull Jimmy out. The elf rode up to them.  
"Get on." said the elf.  
Uglakh and Jimmy hopped onto the motorcycle with him, Jimmy in between the two.  
"Who are you?" asked Jimmy.  
"My name is Mayathir, and I work for the fellowship." he said.  
"How did you know how to find us here?"  
"Gandalf sent me, although you had already left the Rivendell Motel when he called, so I took a guess as to where you would go. A lucky one, by the looks of it. I'm here to protect you."  
He sped off down the road westward. Looking back, Jimmy was shocked to see that the Nazgul on the ground were getting back onto their feet as if nothing had happened.  
"That's right" said Mayathir, looking at the rear-view mirror. "Those are the real deal. The Nazgul. And you can bet we'll be seeing them again."  
  
-  
  
On the western side of Arda, on the other side of the ocean, was the city of Valinor. The fabled destination of the elves departing from the Gray Havens. The majestic glass skyscrapers towered almost into the clouds over the overlapping streets and highways. A helicopter was approaching the roof of one of the highest skyscrapers, one that stood out from the others mostly because of the giant letter "M" engraved on the side. This was the headquarters of Mithrandir corporation. Just about every house and office in the world contained some of Mithrandir's products, and just about every computer in the world ran Mithrandir's operating system: Mithra 3.1. And every year the corporation grew in power.  
  
On the 105th floor of the building, an old man with a long gray beard stood at a window, looking at the traffic down below and gathering his thoughts. Only this was no man. This was Gandalf, a wizard who played a key role in almost all the events in Arda's history since the third age. And the fourth age, it seemed to him, would be no different.  
"Gandalf," came the voice of his secretary over an intercom. "Milo Sandybanks is here to see you.  
"Let him in."  
A hobbit wearing a business suit and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses walked into Gandalf's office.  
"E...ex...excuse me, sir... but..."  
"Yes, what is it, Milo?" Gandalf was always annoyed by Milo's stuttering, but put up with it because he was a great accountant.  
Milo shifted nervously in place and pushed his glasses up. "I... I was l..l..l..looking over the... uh... ac..c..ccounts and I noticed something... uh.. weird. You're making... uh... some kind of major expenditure that looks like... uh... a total liability w..w..without any kind of potential payoff."  
"Don't worry, Milo. I know what I'm doing."  
"Y...you're setting us back thousands of dollars... tens of thousands of dollars without any apparent g..good reason. W..what are you doing?" Milo pushed his glasses up.  
"I'm sorry, Milo, but it is quite important that I keep this completely top secret. More is at stake here than the company. Just get the accounting department working on whatever they can to minimize our losses. I know you can do it."  
"Y..yes sir, Mr. Gandalf, sir." Milo pushed his glasses up again.  
"And it's just Gandalf, I've told you this before."  
Milo pushed his glasses up once more, then quickly scurried off back to work. Gandalf walked back to his desk and pushed the intercom button.  
"Sally?" he said.  
"Yes?" came his secretary's voice.  
"I'm leaving now, so direct any important calls to the cell phone. And I mean REALLY important."  
"Yes, Gandalf. Have a nice trip."  
Gandalf opened up the top drawer of his desk and grabbed the Foehammer .50 pistol that rested inside. Magic was usually good enough for personal protection but it was a hell of a lot easier just to pull a trigger. He put on a long grey trenchcoat, and put the Foehammer in the right pocket. He waved his right hand and magically pushed open a secret door on the far end of his office, which led to a stairway. He walked up the stairway and emerged on the roof of the building, the bright morning sun assaulting his eyes. He pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his coat pocket and put them on, bringing into his view the waiting helicopter. The wind blew Gandalf's beard and his coat out behind him as he stepped toward the helicopter, its blades periodically interrupting the sunlight.  
When he reached the helicopter he said to the pilot, "Take me to Middle-earth, Jeff." 


	3. Chapter 3 Equality

CHAPTER 3 - EQUALITY  
  
"We shouldn't stop here long." said Mayathir, looking anxiously out the glass door of the gas station.  
"Sorry, I just really had to take a piss." said Jimmy, running to the bathroom.  
Mayathir sighed. "What about you?"  
Uglakh shook his head. "I good."  
Uglakh looked around the shelves of the store, trying to locate another bag of Lembas Krunchies. He noticed that the human cashier was alternating between watching a small TV and making sure that Uglakh wasn't shoplifting anything. Of course he didn't give the elf or the hobbit a second glance. The orc is always the suspect. Uglakh tried to ignore the piercing stares that seemed to burn a hole in his back. The cashier reached down and turned the volume up on the television when a special news report came on:  
  
"Rescue crews from Gondor city are giving up the search for survivors now, a week after the devastating Mount Doom eruption. The official death toll now stands at 1520, mostly orcish, with hundreds more suffering from ash inhalation, many who had to be airlifted to the Houses of Healing, since local hospitals were full. The decision to halt the rescue effort has been met with fierce opposition. Orcish rights groups claim that there would be more rescue crews and they wouldn't give up so quickly if the victims were human, elvish, or dwarvish. Last night police had to intervene when an angry mob of orcs began rioting in the west Minas Tirith district, near Gondor city hall. Damage is estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars, and dozens of arrests were made."  
  
The news report continued, showing a picture of chaos. Emergency vehicles, crowded hospitals, interviews with victims and their families, with politicians and policemen. Uglakh stared at the TV screen, thinking of the kind of political fallout the Mount Doom eruption would bring. According to the written laws in Middle-Earth and all over Arda, orcs, humans, elves, and dwarves were all considered equal. But that was just on paper. In reality, there was quite a distinct line, and orcs were invariably under it. He saw it in the way people looked at him, the way they crossed the street to avoid him as he walked by, and by the way the cashier at this gas station was telling him to hurry up and buy the bag of Lembas Krunchies he was holding in his hand. The eruption of Mount Doom finally brought this issue into the spotlight where people couldn't just keep on ignoring it. He quickly exchanged money with the cashier and walked outside, away from the tension.  
  
However, tension followed him. Mayathir walked outside with him.  
"Where do you think you're going?" asked the elf pointedly.  
"I just go outside to wait."  
"Listen to me, Goblin. Wherever you go, you are staying in my sight, do you understand?"  
Uglakh felt a surge of anger rise inside him. Goblin. The G Word.  
"You not trust me?" he managed to say without stooping to the elf's level by calling him a long-ear.  
"Trust the one ring with an orc? I don't think so. Remember: I've got my eye on you."  
Uglakh clenched his fist in anger, but calmed himself down.  
"I will show you can trust me." said Uglakh as calmly as he could.  
Mayathir responded with a quick "hmph".  
Jimmy came out of the gas station. "Sorry I took so long, turns out I didn't just have to... whoa, I'm sensing a lot of tension here. What's going on?"  
"Nothing." said Mayathir strongly, letting them both know that the discussion was over. They got back on the Motorcycle and drove along the highway southwards.  
  
-  
  
Ghashburz sat in the back of a Limousine, looking out the window. He was attractive, as far as orcs go. Nearly six feet tall, well built, and his skin was somewhat smoother and a darker shade of green than most orcs. He looked the other way, and saw Aiwen sitting next to him. Aiwen was the epitome of elvish fairness. Her long dark hair coursed smoothly around her pointy ears and stopped below her elbows. She wore a form-fitting black outfit which accentuated her perfect form. She turned her head, and her glance matched his. She smiled at him, a smile that was both warm and mischievous. He smiled back. No words needed.  
"We're almost there." came the voice of the limousine driver. "Get ready."  
Ghashburz opened up a box on the floor in front of them.  
"Which one do you want to use, dear?" he said.  
"I'll take a Narsil." she said.  
Ghashburz reached into the box and pulled out a Narsil, a compact submachine gun that could empty its entire clip of 30 9mm rounds in two seconds.  
"I'm in a pistol mood today." said Ghashburz. "I'll just use a Foehammer .50 for now. It'll make things more fun." he placed the Foehammer in his pocket  
"Sting as a backup piece?"  
"No, I don't need one." said Ghashburz. "This mission's a walk in the park."  
"Please? Just bring it for me? You know how much I care about you."  
"All right." said Ghashburz. He took out a Sting 9mm and placed it in a hidden holster in the bottom of his pant leg. "I love you."  
"I love you too."  
The limousine pulled to a stop and they stepped out. 


	4. Chapter 4 Signs of a Conspiracy

CHAPTER 4 - SIGNS OF A CONSPIRACY  
  
The helicopter flew over Nindamos harbor, a popular tourist attraction on the island of Numenor due to its many pristine beaches and nearly year-round sunshine. Right in the middle of the sea, it was isolated from the rest of Arda, and often served as a relaxing mid-point in peoples' travels across the world. Gandalf looked down at a helipad next to the harbor.  
"That's the place." said Gandalf.  
"Who are we meeting there?" asked Jeff, the pilot.  
"Her name's Naeronel, and she's an associate. I can't tell you much more than that; need to know basis, et cetera."  
"Aw..." groaned Jeff. "Haven't we known each other long enough?"  
Gandalf smiled and shook his head.  
Jeff smiled back. "Well, I was running a bit low on fuel anyway. Might as well fill 'er up while we're there."  
Jeff hovered the helicopter over the landing pad and slowly let it descend.  
"See that associate anywhere, G?"  
"Don't call me that." said Gandalf gruffly. "No, I don't see her any... wait. There she is."  
Naeronel, an elf woman with long dark hair and glasses was running through a parking lot toward the helipad, shouting something and waving frantically at them. Gandalf, puzzled, looked behind her and saw another elf woman and an Orc chasing her.  
  
-  
  
"She's a fast one!" said Aiwen as she and Ghashburz chased Naeronel in between a line of parked cars to the helipad.  
Ghashburz looked at the approaching helicopter and grabbed Aiwen's shoulder. "Shit! Too late. Her contacts have arrived."  
"Plan B." said Aiwen, drawing her Narsil.  
"Terminate the target." said Ghashburz, drawing his Foehammer.  
Naeronel turned around, seeing their guns drawn and jumped behind a parked car, which immediately lost all of its windows and rear-view mirrors to a hail of gunfire. Shocked tourists screamed and scattered in all directions at the sound of the gunfire.  
  
-  
  
"What do we do now?" Jeff said hesitantly.  
Gandalf drew his Foehammer. "Take me down, I'll handle this."  
"Should have known you'd say that."  
Jeff let the helicopter down until it was three feet off the ground and Gandalf jumped out.  
"Stay in the air where it's safe!" yelled Gandalf.  
Jeff lifted into the air and Gandalf ran out firing his Foehammer at the two mysterious attackers.  
  
-  
  
Ghashburz and Aiwen quickly jumped out of the way into an empty parking space behind a minivan when they saw Gandalf shooting at them. A car moving into the space screeched to a stop an inch away from Aiwen.  
"You almost hit me!" screamed Aiwen, putting a three-round burst into the driver.  
"Calm down!" said Ghashburz. "The boss wants a clean operation."  
Aiwen rolled her eyes. Ghashburz quickly pulled out a cell phone and hit a speed-dial button. "Ghash here. The mission went south. Should be easy enough to handle now but just in case, get us some backup and get us out of here ASAP!"  
Ghashburz peeked around the side of the van and fired a shot at Gandalf, a perfect shot right to the center chest. It missed. "What the fuck?" said Ghashburz. Gandalf fired back at him, and he hid behind the van. "He should be dead!"  
  
-  
  
Gandalf wiped sweat off his brow, he had managed to deflect the bullet slightly off-course to whiz harmlessly off to his left side but it was a long time since he had used that degree of magical power and the effort had strained his powers. He wasn't sure how many times he could do it again. He raised his Foehammer in the direction of the van.  
"Naeronel, I have you covered. Come out here, and stay low."  
Naeronel emerged from behind the car. The helicopter flew by overhead, and started to set down in an empty space in the parking lot.  
"Thanks, G!" said Naeronel. "Thought I was dead there."  
"Would everyone stop calling me that?"  
Naeronel ran into the helicopter when it reached the ground, and Gandalf followed after, keeping his gun trained on the van.  
"Get us out of here!" said Gandalf.  
Jeff nodded and started to lift the helicopter up.  
  
-  
  
"They're getting away!" yelled Aiwen. "This is all your fault!"  
Ghashburz calmly reached into an inner coat pocket and pulled something out. "They aren't away yet."  
"They're in a fucking helicopter!"  
Aiwen ran out from behind the van and emptied the rest of her Narsil's magazine pointlessly in the general direction of the helicopter. Ghashburz smirked, and placed the object he had pulled out of his pocket on the barrel of his gun. It was a magnifying sight with a laser pointer. He calmly walked out beside Aiwen and aimed at the escaping helicopter. He held the gun in both hands and kept his aim steady, peering through the scope, and calculating how much he would have to lead his shot to get what he wanted. He pulled the trigger once, and the .50 caliber bullet soared through the air at a perfect trajectory, coming in contact with the connection between the helicopter and its blades.  
"Let's meet them at the harbor." he said as Aiwen reloaded her Narsil.  
  
-  
  
"Uh oh." said Jeff.  
"What's 'uh oh'?" asked Naeronel. "Pilots aren't supposed to say 'uh oh', that's a bad thing! What's happening?"  
"I can't keep us steady. Something's wrong with the blades... whoa!"  
The whoa! was his reaction to the sudden dip in altitude. Jeff tried as hard as he could to keep it in the air but it was going down fast.  
"I'm gonna try for a water landing. Brace yourselves!"  
Naeronel screamed and covered her head. Gandalf held onto the window frame. The helicopter took a dive and hit the water between two boats docked at the harbor. They swam out of the helicopter and climbed up onto the dock as it sank.  
"That was a close one." said Naeronel.  
Suddenly a burst of automatic gunfire tore up the dock around their feet, sending wood splinters into the air. Gandalf quickly whipped around to the source and took a shot, hitting one of the shooters.  
  
-  
  
Ghashburz was taken off his feet by the force of the bullet impact in his chest.  
"No!" screamed Aiwen, momentarily losing sight of their goal.  
Ghashburz lay on the ground and muttered orcish swear words under his breath.  
"Are you all right?" asked Aiwen.  
"Fucking bullets hurt, even with a Mithril vest on." he said, hitting his chest. He crawled to his feet and lurched toward the dock, firing another shot that should have killed the old man with the beard but didn't for some reason. Maybe a new type of bullet-proof vest he hadn't heard of yet.  
  
-  
  
Feeling incredibly drained from the last deflected bullet, Gandalf started to look for an escape route. He saw a jet-ski docked a few feet down.  
"Follow me!" he said.  
He ran forward, keeping cover fire on the entrance to the harbor where their assailants were shooting from. He jumped onto the jet-ski and waved at the others to come on with him. He held his hand over the ignition and focused hard. He turned his hand, and the lock turned with it, starting the engine. They pulled away, bullets splashing in the water behind them.  
  
-  
  
Ghashburz grimaced as the jet-ski pulled behind a cruise ship, out of their sight.  
"What else can go wrong?" he groaned.  
He heard a voice behind him. "Harbor security! Throw your weapons down and put your hands up."  
They both dropped their weapons and raised their hands into the air. Ghashburz quickly glanced over his shoulder. Three security guards, all armed. Ghashburz turned to look at Aiwen. She smiled. She knew what he was thinking.  
"Get down on the ground! Do it now!"  
They both kneeled to the ground and started to pitch forward. At that moment Ghashburz quickly reached into his ankle holster and pulled out his backup piece. The instant he grabbed the Sting he began to roll on his side. One roll. One shot. Another roll. Another shot. One last roll into a final shot and all three security guards were sprawled on the pavement. Just then a limousine squealed to a stop beside them. The back door opened, they climbed in, and the limo sped off. 


	5. Chapter 5 Naeronel

CHAPTER 5 - NAERONEL  
  
Uglakh looked at the misty mountains to the east as they travelled southward on Mayathir's motorcycle. The mountains seemed a neverending wall to him, and it distressed him that they were blocking the way to his home in Udun. Blocking the way to the ring. Worried thoughts were running through his head. What if someone were to break into his house, find the ring, and steal it? What if the people in this so-called "fellowship" were just going to take the ring from him when they got there and leave him dead in a ditch somewhere? Just one more dead orc, who would care? They just wanted his ring. His precious ring, those thieves!  
  
The sound of a ringing cell phone brought Uglakh back to reality, and he realized how much his thoughts were being affected even at a distance from the ring.  
Jimmy answered his phone. "Jimmy here."  
Gandalf's voice responded, sounding more stressed than usual. "Where are you?"  
"Somewhere on the highway south, by the misty mountains. Not sure where, the whole road looks kind of the same. Hey, you won't believe..."  
"Get off the main roads immediately!" said Gandalf.  
"Why?" asked Jimmy.  
"Somebody knows about us. They were waiting at Nindamos harbor: two assassins, very well-trained. If I wasn't there Naeronel would have been killed. Whoever it is, they may be searching the main roads. It is of utmost importance that you keep a low profile."  
"So we're not the only ones who ran into some crazy shit today."  
"What do you mean?" asked Gandalf.  
"Nazgul. Fucking Ringwraiths, black cloaks, swords and everything. Tried to decapitate us. Luckily our favourite elf arrived in the nick of time and saved our asses. Personally I would have preferred at least a minute or two BEFORE the nick of time but hey, I'm not complaining. It's just..."  
"I might not be able to meet you in Udun. We lost our helicopter, and we're looking for an alternate form of transport. Once you have the ring, go to Lothlorien. Mayathir knows where exactly."  
"All right, G."  
Jimmy heard the phone being hung up rather quickly and loudly. He shrugged his shoulders.  
"What was that?" asked Mayathir.  
"We need to find another route to Udun. Gandalf thinks someone might be looking for us."  
Mayathir brought the motorcycle to a stop. "I was afraid of that. I know a way that we can take where we will be nearly impossible to locate."  
"Where is that?" asked Jimmy.  
"We need to go through Moria."  
Uglakh looked up in surprise. "Moria is real?"  
Mayathir chuckled. "Damn, you're naive. I thought an orc would know about it for sure. Of course it's real. And it's right where the old books say it is, under the misty mountains." Mayathir turned the motorcycle around and started down the road the other way. "I know where the west entrance to it is."  
"So rumors of Moria are true?" asked Uglakh. "Khazad-Dum also?"  
"Yes," answered Mayathir. "Let's put it this way: if you got a large shipment of high-quality Shire-grown pipeweed and you want to ship it down to Mordor without getting busted by the cops, you take it through Moria. Most of the pipeweed traffic in Middle-earth is centralized in the city of Khazad-Dum, controlled by the three big organized crime groups."  
"Do the police know about it?" asked Jimmy.  
"Yep. But they aren't going to do anything about it. Half of the police force is working WITH the Khazad-Dum gangs for a cut in the profits."  
"Are you sure it's a good idea to go through there? Sounds like a dangerous place to me."  
"Don't worry about it. They're just like animals down there. Don't bother them, and they won't bother you."  
  
-  
  
Gandalf kicked open the door to Naeronel's apartment and entered with his gun drawn.  
"It's clear." he said, waving Jeff and Naeronel in.  
Naeronel shrugged. "So yeah. Welcome to my home. Sorry for the mess and the junk and stuff." she said, adjusting her glasses.  
Jeff looked around the place, and it was indeed a mess. The floors and couches were covered with paper, books, strange electronic parts, and dirty laundry. Through a window on the other side, he could see the sides of two condominiums in the downtown area of Nindamos.  
"So," Jeff said to Gandalf. "Am I on that 'need to know' list now? Who is she and why did they want to kill her?"  
Gandalf paused a moment. "I don't know who is out to kill her, but as for her identity, I suppose I should tell you now. Whether we take four hours to explain everything depends on one question. Have you read through the Lord of the Rings?"  
"Yes. Studied it in a mythology course in college."  
"Not mythology. That stuff all happened. The ring is back and we're looking for it. Naeronel is part of the fellowship, chosen for her computer skills."  
"What do computer skills have to do with this ring stuff?"  
"Not much." answered Naeronel, obviously frustrated at the way they were talking about her as if she weren't in the room. "I was hired at Mithrandir for a contract job ten years ago, transferring a whole bunch of old dusty historical documents and stuff from Minas Tirith into a computer database system. Really long and boring work waiting for the scanners to get through everything, and there was lots of icky dust everywhere, but I got totally interested in it, and before I knew it Gandalf got me involved in this whole Fellowship thingy. Hey, you guys want a snack?"  
"We're rather in a hurry." said Gandalf. "Let's get back to business. We need to get off this island, and in a way that nobody can track us."  
"Yes. Right. Follow me." said Naeronel. They followed as she darted into her bedroom and knocked a pile of socks of her desk, revealing a computer. She flicked it on, and the loading screen of the Mithra 3.1 operating system appeared onscreen.  
She turned to Gandalf. "Did you get that list of possible security exploits in Mithra 3.1 that I sent you?"  
"The programmers have fixed the first two bugs for Mithra 4.0 already. We're having trouble tracing down the other ones though."  
"Whatever. That's the problem. You do these big releases months apart giving hackers plenty of time to figure out how to break it. Open source, man. It's the only way to go. Ooh! It's finished loading."  
"What's your plan?" asked Gandalf.  
"How 'bout a nice Numenorean cruise?" said Naeronel.  
Gandalf and Jeff were both momentarily confused. Naeronel giggled. "I see cruise ships come in and out of this harbor all the time. I just gotta get us on one heading to Middle-Earth and we'll be travelling there in style!"  
Jeff shrugged. "Sounds as good an idea as ever. Not exactly low-profile, though."  
"Not unless we hack into the cruise line's database and get us some free reservations under an assumed name. Check this out..."  
Naeronel opened up a web browser and did a quick search to find Numenorean Star Cruise Lines' home page, and clicked into the on-line reservation section.  
"This should be a... uh... Jeff, check your foot." she said.  
Jeff looked down at his foot and found a pair of Naeronel's panties looped around it. He quickly shook them off and blushed.  
"Sorry, this place is such a mess. I wasn't expecting anyone over." said Naeronel. "Anyway, This should be a pretty simple job. Just gotta open up my own special program here..."  
She clicked on an icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, and a screen full of indecipherable numbers and characters showed up. Jeff strained to determine some kind of pattern or meaning on the screen but it was a pointless effort. Naeronel's fingers flew across the keyboard furiously.  
"Aha! 128-bit encryption. I'll just get the codebreaker up and running... doo dee doo... bingo! Thought it would be more difficult than that... decipher the output... all right, we're in. What name should we go under?"  
"Underhill." said Gandalf with a slight smile.  
"Yay! We're the Underhill family!" she said, typing in some false names for them to use. "Okay, Gandalf, you're my Dad. Jeff, you're my husband."  
Jeff smiled. "Wow, that was fast. I just met you."  
"What can I say? You swept me off my feet. Anyway, we get off this rock tomorrow morning. Might as well sleep here tonight."  
"Is this our honeymoon?" asked Jeff.  
Naeronel laughed out loud. "In your dreams. You get the couch, buddy!" 


	6. Chapter 6 A Deadly Pair

CHAPTER 6 - A DEADLY PAIR  
  
Ghashburz looked back at the Island of Numenor as he steered the yacht away from it. He looked forward and saw Aiwen lying face-forward on the deck, wearing sunglasses and a string bikini. She was a dazzling sight as always, her long black hair flowing in the breeze. He thought back to the first time he met her, three years ago...  
  
-  
  
Ghashburz sat at one end of a desk, a man with his face hidden in the shadows sitting on the other side.  
"Good afternoon. So you are the one they call the dark flame. You have quite a reputation."  
"I have been known to offer good services in the past." said Ghashburz.  
The man continued. "I am a representative of the Green Dragon gang, and we have a mission for you which we are prepared to offer a substantial sum of money for."  
The man pushed a folder on the desk toward him. Out of some strange coincidence of the lighting, the man's face remained in the shadows throughout the movement. Ghashburz opened up the folder and gazed upon the face of a beautiful elf, one who he had never met in person but had heard about.  
"Aiwen." he said with a smile. "She's the only assassin in Khazad-Dum with a kill count rivaling my own."  
"And she is working for the Rangers, which makes her our enemy. Business for the Green Dragon will proceed much more smoothly when she is terminated. So do we have a deal?"  
"It would be an honor."  
  
The next week he spent trying to track down his elusive target, but one day in a dark alley of Khazad-Dum he realized that Aiwen had also been tracking him down. They met at opposite sides of the alley, seeing each other through the steam coming out from a vent of a nearby building. They started walking toward each other slowly.  
"How much am I worth to you?" Aiwen said calmly.  
"Three hundred thousand cash." answered Ghashburz. "And me?"  
"About the same. Let's make this fair. Draw on three."  
They continued walking toward each other. Ghashburz's heart rate increased and he could feel the effects of adrenaline working through his system.  
"One." said Aiwen.  
He started to analyze his situation. Two Stings, sixteen bullets in each, in shoulder holsters, safeties off. Four spare magazines.  
"Two." said Ghashburz.  
No body armor, very little cover: abandoned car, corner of the building, dumpster.  
"Three!" they said together.  
Less than twenty feet away from each other, they both simultaneously reached for their weapons, both wielding dual Stings. The next fifteen seconds were a slow-motion blur as they fired at each other, spinning in dance-like movements smoothly between bullets streaming in both directions. They whirled around each other, keeping just outside the lethal sights of each other's guns, the sounds of explosive gunshots and bullet ricochets echoing in their ears until they both met in the center in a whirlwind of pistol smoke. Realizing he was out of ammo, he dropped his guns and quickly pulled out a knife and held it at her neck, stopping when through the wafting smoke he saw that she had a knife poised at his neck at the same time. He could feel the pressure of the steel blade on his neck with every pulse of his racing heart. They stared into each others' eyes, out of breath, for a long minute before Aiwen broke the silence.  
"Seems we have a stalemate here. Shall we call it a draw?"  
"Sounds good to me. Perhaps I'll kill you another day." he said.  
They leaned closer to each other and kissed. They sheathed their knives and walked off in opposite directions.  
  
-  
  
"Ghash, you awake?" asked Aiwen. "You looked a little zoned out there."  
"Sorry, I was thinking back to the alley in Khazad-Dum."  
"Don't tell me you're going soft and sentimental on me now." Aiwen laughed.  
Ghashburz chose not to respond to that. He shut off the yacht's engine and walked toward her on the deck, carrying a laptop computer. He opened it up and opened a cellular internet connection. Almost immediately text appeared on the screen.  
  
WHY DID YOU NOT COMPLETE THE MISSION?  
  
Ghashburz groaned, trying to find the best way to respond. He decided to stretch the truth just a little bit.  
  
THE TARGET'S CONTACTS ARRIVED. THEY HAD US OUTNUMBERED AND THEY HAD AIR SUPPORT  
  
It was technically true. There were three of them, but only one was armed, and the guy had to be at least 70 years old, but their employer didn't need to know that. He waited a painfully long time for a response.  
  
WAS ONE OF THE CONTACTS AN ELDERLY MAN WITH A LONG BEARD?  
  
"How did he know?" said Aiwen.  
Ghashburz shrugged.  
  
YES  
  
UNDERSTANDABLE. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KILL HIM. HE IS BEYOND YOUR SKILLS.  
  
Ghashburz raised an eyebrow at the message.  
  
I DON'T UNDERSTAND  
  
YOU DON'T NEED TO. NOW, THE PAYMENT: ALTHOUGH YOU FAILED, I WILL WIRE YOU HALF THE PROMISED AMOUNT.  
  
"Shit! I wanted the whole thing!" whined Aiwen.  
"Just be glad he didn't decide to leave us with nothing." said Ghashburz.  
  
THANK YOU, SIR  
  
A window opened up, showing the progress of the financial transaction.  
  
I HAVE ONE MORE MISSION FOR YOU TWO. THIS WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT, SO YOU WILL BE REWARDED TWO MILLION EACH ON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION.  
  
That got Ghashburz's pulse racing for a moment.  
  
DETAILS?  
  
NOT OVER THIS CONNECTION. RETURN TO KHAZAD-DUM IMMEDIATELY. WE WILL BRIEF YOU AND PROVIDE THE NECESSARY TOOLS.  
  
The computer beeped as the transaction was completed, and Ghashburz closed the connection.  
"We're going back to Khazad-Dum." said Aiwen. "Isn't it romantic?"  
Ghashburz wrapped his arms around her.  
  
-  
  
Jimmy looked up at the sheer rock face, looming oppressively over him.  
"The walls of Moria." said Mayathir, bringing the motorcycle to a stop.  
"I feel like I just jumped into the pages of Lord of the Rings." said Jimmy. "There's the lake. Better not disturb the water, if I remember correctly."  
"Good idea. Drug smugglers have been known to mysteriously disappear around this area. Maybe that octopus thing in the lake is just a myth but I'm not going to test the theory."  
Mayathir dismounted, and started to run his hands along the wall. "Should be around here somewhere..." he slipped his right hand into a crack, and moved down. He stopped and smiled. He pushed something in the crack and there was a rumbling sound. Slowly, a portion of the wall moved forward and slid to the side, revealing a small cave. Uglakh gulped. He had heard rumours of Moria before, but never imagined that he would actually see it. Mayathir motioned to Jimmy and Uglakh to follow him in. He walked forward cautiously, his right hand poised over one of his crossbows. It was a small cave with a metal door set into the stone at the end. Mayathir stepped to the door and knocked. A section of stone next to the door opened up, revealing a large gun on a turret, facing him. Behind the turret was a small window, and he could see the face of a dwarf looking at him, a large scar running down diagonally from his forehead.  
"Stop right there." said the dwarf through an intercom. "Say the password. You have three seconds.  
"Mellon." answered Mayathir.  
The rock slid back into place in front of the gun turret, and the door opened.  
"How he know this stuff?" Uglakh whispered to Jimmy.  
Jimmy didn't answer. Mayathir walked through the door and they followed, past two dwarves carrying large custom-built assault rifles that looked like a hybrid of axe and gun.  
"Just keep walking." said Mayathir. "No sudden movements, and don't reach into your pockets, whatever you do."  
Jimmy looked at one of the dwarves, who met his glance and let out an animalistic growl. He quickly set his eyes forward again. "There's something to be said about Morian hospitality." he muttered to himself.  
They emerged in a large rocky cavern, with makeshift dwellings set into the sides. The ground was littered with garbage, and dirty-looking people of all races were huddled around flaming barrels for warmth.  
"Stay close." said Mayathir. "This is where the worst of the pipeweed junkies live, if you can call it living."  
Uglakh felt a sickened kind of pity looking at the empty stares of the people living there. He opted instead to look at the ground as he walked.  
"I don't get it." said Jimmy. "Hundreds of years ago people smoked pipeweed all the time, especially hobbits, and it never messed them up this badly."  
"That was natural pipeweed, not the genetically engineered and concentrated stuff that we have today." answered Mayathir.  
A ragged-looking bearded man approached them, jittering with what was obviously pipeweed withdrawal. "Not seen you around here before. New people?"  
Mayathir subtly stepped away from him. "Yes. Why do you ask?"  
"Heading to Khazad-Dum, are we? Got a vehicle. Get you there fast. 80 dollars for the ride."  
Mayathir eased a bit, and immediately switched to a bargaining mode. "I don't know. There's a lot of other transporters around this place, and some of them aren't junkies like you. I don't think I'd go with you at that price."  
"Gimme a break man." he said, twitching. "70 dollars, but I ain't going lower."  
"You got yourself a deal."  
  
The man led them down a tunnel to another similar cavern, behind one of the houses. There was an ATV with disproportionately large wheels parked there. The man climbed in and spent a couple of minutes deactivating and unlocking several different anti-theft devices before starting up the engine.  
"Hop in!" he yelled, grinning to show his crooked yellow teeth. 


	7. Chapter 7 KhazadDum

CHAPTER 7 - Khazad-Dum  
  
Jeff awoke on a couch in Naeronel's apartment, and opened his eyes a slit. The early morning sunlight through the windows stung his eyes and the room was still a little blurry. In the blur he made out the form of a person. Blinking his eyes brought the picture in clearly and he saw it was Naeronel in the middle of the living room. She seemed to be dancing somehow. She was gracefully spinning, her arms swinging outward rhythmically, ending in a fixed position which she held for a few seconds before jumping into a backflip and landing without a sound on one knee, her arms spread outward. She stood up again.  
  
Jeff clapped. Naeronel turned to him, looking surprised. Jeff was suddenly struck with how her eyes looked without glasses, but quickly recovered.  
"Whatever that was, it was pretty cool." said Jeff.  
Naeronel laughed nervously. "Yeah, that was the Wilwarin lilta of the Mahtaquaare technique."  
Jeff looked confused.  
"Mahtaquaare. An elvish martial art form. I'm fourth degree."  
"How many degrees are there?"  
"Seven. Only elves have ever gotten past third degree though. The agility required is too much for a human. Wanna see something neat?"  
"Sure." said Jeff.  
"Get up here."  
Jeff got off the couch and walked up to her.  
"Now try to punch me."  
Jeff chuckled. "Sorry? What?"  
"You heard me. Give me your best shot. Hit me right in the face."  
"heh, okay."  
Jeff swung a punch toward her, and before he knew it he was flipped over and on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Naeronel came into view and she looked down at him. "You okay?"  
"Whoa." was all he could say.  
"I'll help you up."  
Naeronel kneeled down and started to pick Jeff up.  
  
The front door opened and Gandalf walked in. He looked at Jeff and Naeronel together. "Am I interrupting something?"  
"No, I was just showing Jeff some Mahtaquaare."  
"I see." said Gandalf.  
Jeff looked at Naeronel, then looked away. Naeronel looked at Jeff, then looked away. Jeff shifted his feet nervously.  
"I'm gonna... go and take a shower." said Naeronel.  
Jeff watched as she walked out of the room. He looked back to Gandalf, who was smiling at him.  
"What?" said Jeff.  
"Nothing." answered Gandalf. "Get ready, we're leaving soon."  
  
-  
  
"We're gonna die!" screamed Jimmy, clinging to Mayathir.  
"Shut up." said Mayathir.  
Uglakh just sat still with his eyes shut.  
The ATV roared through the winding tunnels of Moria at high speed. The road twisted violently in all directions, including up and down. Every once in a while they passed by a crashed and abandoned vehicle belonging to a previous, less successful transporter. The harrowing journey left Jimmy feeling like he would have preferred a four-day walk to this.  
"We're almost there!" said the driver. "Woooo!"  
"Thank goodness for that." said Jimmy.  
The ATV emerged from the tunnels and screeched to a stop.  
"We're here!" said the driver. He quickly pulled out a Narsil and held it to Mayathir's head. "Now give me money."  
Mayathir yanked the Narsil out of his hand, then punched the driver in the nose.  
"You don't have to be rude about it." said Mayathir. "Here's your money. Damn, nobody trusts anybody those days."  
Mayathir took seventy dollars and placed it in the drivers hand. The driver nodded quickly. Mayathir ejected the magazine from the gun and gave it back. "Nice doing business with you."  
They stepped out of the ATV, which promptly zipped away down the tunnels.  
"This is Khazad-Dum." said Mayathir.  
From where they were standing, they could see a gigantic cavern that stretched on for miles, and in the middle of it was the city of Khazad-Dum, its large buildings casting their lights around the rocky walls surrounding it. There was a gravel path leading toward the city, and they followed it to one of the main roads of Khazad-Dum. A bullet-riddled car drove by, the two men inside eyeing them suspiciously. A rat scurried across the street, hiding in an old tire lying against the curb. The stores lining the streets were of the kind that the residents of Khazad-Dum preferred: weapons, drugs, hookers, pornography, et cetera. They continued walking down the street.  
"I not like this place." said Uglakh, looking up at the decrepit brick buildings surrounding them.  
"No sane person would." answered Mayathir. "I used to live here, but thankfully I got out..."  
Uglakh thought he saw something in Mayathir's expression that said there was more to the story. He was sure that Mayathir was hiding something.  
"Don't give me that look." said Mayathir.  
Uglakh looked forward, and saw a large group of armed orcs walking into an intersection from a street to the left.  
"Just keep walking." said Mayathir. "That's the Green Dragon gang. I don't know what they're doing but whatever it is they don't care about us... what the hell?"  
A group of elves and men came into the intersection from a street to the right. They all wore red jackets with the letter R stitched in the front.  
"The Rangers. Things could get ugly." he turned around and saw a large group of dwarves approaching the intersection from behind them. They quickly backed off to the sidewalk and let them walk by.  
"Who are these?" asked Jimmy.  
"The Stonehammer gang. This is a full-fledged gang war that we just walked into. We have to get somewhere safe. Now!"  
Gunshots started ringing out in the intersection, and stray bullets smacked into the street and the walls around them. They ran away from the battle and ducked into a store.  
  
"Welcome, welcome, one and all to Eddie's firearm emporium." came a voice from inside the store. A tattoed, bearded man was behind the counter with a massive grin on his face. "Don't tell me that you walked into the war without a weapon!"  
"I'm already armed." said Mayathir, drawing back his jacket to reveal his crossbows.  
Eddie laughed. "What is this, the third age? Nobody uses crossbows anymore, and the halfling's Sting ain't gonna do shit. Not enough stopping power. What you need is some real firepower. Something big and scary that will make your enemies shit themselves."  
Mayathir figured that it would be a good idea to kill some time here until the fighting outside died down. "What do you have for me?"  
There was a sudden THUNK sound and Mayathir instinctively ducked. He looked at the front window and there was a white blemish in the store's front window where a bullet had hit it.  
"Mithrill-fortified plexiglass. Worth every penny. Haven't had to replace that window yet." said Eddie, laughing. "Now, I'll show you something that'll really tickle you."  
He pressed a button under the counter and the wall behind him spun around, revealing a wall covered with assault rifles, heavy machine guns, and all sorts of heavy duty firepower. Eddie pulled a gun from the wall and presented it to Mayathir.  
"Anduril .45 submachine gun. Guaranteed to empty a roomfull of people faster than you can say 'die, motherfuckers!'. You just can't beat the stopping power that this thing gives you. Give it a feel."  
Mayathir picked up the Anduril and pretended to be interested in it. He peered down the sights  
"It's a very rare gun that you won't find in just any shop. You'll notice that it has a similar design to a Narsil, even has some parts interchangeable with one. When I found this one it was broken, but a few shards of Narsil and some expert craftsmanship did the job. I could let this one go for about 900 bucks."  
"I'll give you 700 for it." said Mayathir.  
"800 bucks, and I'll put in four magazines of ammo free."  
Mayathir realised that it was actually a pretty good deal, and judging by the situation in Khazad-Dum, he might need it. "I'll take it."  
"Cash only, of course."  
Mayathir pulled 800 dollars from his wallet.  
"You have a lot of money." said Jimmy.  
"Gandalf has a really high budget for his operations."  
There was a sound of a nearby gunshot, and an elf ran into the window face first. He slid down, leaving a trail of blood on the window.  
"Hey!" yelled Eddie. "If you survive, you have to clean that up!" 


	8. Chapter 8 Lorathir

CHAPTER 8 - Lorathir  
  
A while after the fighting died down, they left the gun shop and began to travel the streets of Khazad-Dum again. They walked past the intersection, littered with bodies. Uglakh was absolutely horrified at the senseless death all around him. He felt his stomach churn. He knelt down and vomited on the ground. Mayathir groaned. Jimmy came up to Uglakh and put his hand on his back.  
"It's all right. We'll be out of here soon."  
"It not all right!" said Uglakh, wiping his mouth off. "Why this happen? This violence..."  
"Get up. We don't have time for this." said Mayathir coldly.  
"Just give him a moment." said Jimmy.  
Uglakh got up to his feet and continued walking, trying not to look down. On top of his feelings, he was feeling the urge to see the ring again, stronger than he had ever felt it.  
  
Far in the distance, gunshots and screams were echoing through the city. Mayathir stopped and listened.  
"Something is not right here. Even Khazad-Dum has never had this much conflict. Something big is happening around here. We need to stay off the main roads."  
Mayathir led them through dark and winding back alleys, one after the other, seeming to know exactly where each turn would lead them.  
"How long did you live here?" asked Jimmy.  
"Too long."  
The sounds of fighting never ceased during their walk through the city. Uglakh tried his best to block the sounds out.  
  
-  
  
Eddie looked up when he heard the door to his shop open. Eight men dressed entirely in black walked in. Eddie grinned.  
"Welcome, welcome, one and all to Eddie's firearms emporium. Let me guess: you're the new gang in town, you want to make your move, get a piece of the action, and you need some firepower for it. Well, you've come to the right place!"  
"We want your weapons." said one of the men in black.  
"And I want your money. Perhaps we can work something out."  
"No money." said the man.  
Eddie placed his hand on a sawed-off shotgun he kept underneath the counter. "Then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."  
"Give us weapons or die!" said the man, walking closer and drawing his sword.  
Eddie pulled out the shotgun and blasted the man point-blank in the head. The man crumpled to the floor. Eddie pointed the shotgun at the others. "All of you get out of here now!"  
Suddenly the one that he had just shot got up from the floor and grabbed his shotgun by the barrel. He pulled the trigger again, but for some reason the gun didn't work. He saw a wave of darkness flow through the barrel of his gun, and felt a sudden cold sensation in his hand. He pulled back his hand in shock and looked at his arm. Something black was trailing down the blood vessels in his arm. He screamed in pain as it worked through his arm, and felt something in his heart. His vision began flashing, then turned completely black.  
  
-  
  
They were near the edge of Khazad-Dum, when they emerged from an alley onto a street. Mayathir looked left and right, and saw nobody so they continued to walk. Just then an orc came around the corner and leaned against a lamp-post, smoking a pipeweed joint. The orc looked up, and made eye contact with Mayathir.  
"Now this is a face that Bagronk recognizes." said the orc.  
"Shit." said Mayathir. "You guys stay here, I'll take care of this."  
Mayathir walked down the street towards the orc. "Bagronk. Long time, no see. How's it going?"  
"Fine. Bagronk is still in business with Lorathir after all these years."  
"You know, you really should lay off the pipeweed. I think it's making you talk in the third person."  
Bagronk laughed. "Bagronk will talk however he likes. Perhaps you would like to see Lorathir again. Bagronk is sure Lorathir would appreciate it."  
"No thanks. Tell him that I said hi."  
Bagronk took a couple of steps backward and pulled out a Narsil faster than you would think a pipeweed junkie could. "Bagronk insists."  
Mayathir sighed. "Put that thing away before you hurt yourself. All right, I'll go if you really want me to."  
Bagronk smiled. "Follow me. And your friends can come too."  
Mayathir turned to the others and nodded. They followed him down a street to a ratty-looking bar. The bouncer stood outside the front entrance of the bar: a large cave troll with its arms crossed and an intimidating sneer on its face.  
"Who these?" boomed the cave troll.  
"Don't worry. They're with Bagronk." said Bagronk.  
"You go in." the cave troll uncrossed his arms and opened the door to the bar.  
Jimmy looked up at the cave troll - way up - as he walked in.  
  
The bar was thick with smoke and reeked of pipeweed. At one end of the bar was a stage with two topless dwarvish strippers, dancing to a deep, rythmic heavy metal song that Uglakh recognized as Uruk-Hai's latest single. Bagronk led them through the crowd, to Lorathir, a man wearing sunglasses and a business suit, stuffing a 3 dollar bill into a stripper's g-string. Bagronk tapped on the Lorathir's shoulder and he turned around. He lowered his sunglasses and looked at Mayathir.  
"Maya." he said.  
"Lor." Mayathir answered.  
They stared at each other for a few seconds.  
"You fucking bastard!" yelled Lorathir, lunging forward and punching him in the face. "What are you doing back in Khazad-Dum?"  
Several people in the bar cheered at the punch.  
"Just passing through." said Mayathir, returning with a punch to Lorathir's stomach.  
The crowd cheered again. The bartender started taking bets.  
"You got some nerve showing your face in here, Maya. After what you did to me." Lorathir threw another punch, which Mayathir deflected.  
"I saved your life! That's what I did!"  
"I could have handled myself! I didn't need my big brother to pull me out!" Lorathir tried to kick Mayathir, but hit air as Mayathir moved out of the way. The crowd started chanting Lorathir's name.  
"Bullshit. The Stonehammers had you flanked and outnumbered, and shot all of your buddies down. If I hadn't pulled you out you would have joined them."  
"Liar!" yelled Lorathir.  
Mayathir realized that Lorathir's eyes were turning red. He was starting to cry. Lorathir lunged toward him. Mayathir started to block but realized that it was a hug.  
"I'm so sorry..." cried Lorathir. "I don't know what came over me. I missed you, Maya."  
The crowd turned away in disgust.  
"I missed you too, Lor." said Mayathir, beginning to cry a little himself.  
"It's a big fucking happy family." said Bagronk.  
  
Lorathir was starting to say something when there was a loud BANG from outside, followed by a deep, low scream, and something heavy hitting the ground. The front door of the bar opened, and the eight Nazgul walked in, all brandishing assault rifles. Through the open door, the bouncer's dead body was visible. The song playing over the bar's speakers ended, leaving a momentary silence.  
  
"Everybody get down!" yelled Mayathir.  
The next song started, aggresive and powerful thrash metal with lyrics screamed in Orcish. The Nazgul opened fire simultaneously, taking out chairs, tables, bottles, and anyone who didn't get down in time. Mayathir and Lorathir dove behind the bar, and Jimmy and Uglakh bolted into the hallway leading to the bathroom. Some of the people in the bar took out weapons and fired at the Nazgul, but were quickly cut down.  
"We gotta get out of here!" yelled Mayathir. He handed the Anduril to Lorathir and drew his crossbows.  
Mayathir stood up and fired at the Nazgul with his crossbows, taking down two of them. The others turned toward him and opened fire, forcing him to duck behind the bar again. One bullet sent a bottle flying off the bar. It smashed into the wall behind them, spraying glass fragments on Mayathir and Lorathir.  
Jimmy leaned out from behind the wall and took a few shots, taking another one down. He ran behind the wall again, but the bullets from their assault rifles penetrated through the wall. One caught him in the back and knocked him down.  
"No!" screamed Uglakh, pulling Jimmy out of the line of fire. He picked up Jimmy's Sting.  
"Run for the back exit!" Lorathir yelled to Mayathir. "I'll cover you!"  
"Wait a minute..." started Mayathir, but it was too late.  
Lorathir jumped up onto the bar and launched himself into the air sideways, firing the Anduril full auto. Mayathir ran toward the back exit, firing his crossbows on the way. Lorathir landed and slid across a table, still firing the Anduril, sliding just inches away from bullets punching holes through the table. In the end, he had taken down three more of the Nazgul, but two of those that had been shot earlier were getting up already. Lorathir hid behind a support pillar.  
Uglakh picked up Jimmy in one arm and ran out of the hallway toward the back exit, firing his Sting wildly at the Nazgul. He leaped out the back exit, followed by Mayathir.  
"Uh... help!" said Lorathir, still pinned behind the pillar.  
Suddenly the gunshots stopped, and the Nazgul made strange frustrated, confused noises. Lorathir leaned out and looked at the Nazgul, who were looking at their weapons confusedly.  
Mayathir leaned in from the back exit. "They don't know how to reload! Run!"  
Lorathir ran as fast as he could, emptying the rest of the Anduril's clip behind him, and joined the others. They ran out to the edge of the city, down a path, and stopped behind a rock. Uglakh put Jimmy down.  
"Jimmy! Are you all right? Talk to me!" said Mayathir.  
"I'm... I'm okay... but my back hurts." said Jimmy.  
"You should be dead! That bullet would have brought down a wild boar!" said Mayathir, in shock.  
Jimmy pulled back his shirt to reveal a Mithril bulletproof vest underneath.  
"Oh." said Mayathir. "Of course. So get up and start walking, tough guy!"  
Jimmy got back on his feet. They continued running down the path, through a short tunnel, and emerged in another large cavern, this one lit by volcanic activity below them. A large stone stairway led down. Next to the stairway was a large metallic structure with steam coming out of the top. Thick cables ran along the side of the stairway from the structure.  
"This is where Khazad-Dum's power is generated, from the natural volcanic energy down below." explained Mayathir. "Quick, we're almost at the bridge."  
They walked down the stairs at the highest speed they could safely travel, and arrived at the bridge of Khazad-Dum, a thin metal walkway with handrails on either side. Jimmy ran ahead of them, and when he reached the middle he turned around, raising a hand.  
"You cannot pass!" he yelled.  
The others stopped for a second, confused.  
"Sorry, I always wanted to do that."  
They crossed the bridge and emerged from Moria. 


	9. Chapter 9 The One Ring Revealed

CHAPTER 9 - The One Ring Revealed  
  
Lorathir squinted his eyes at the bright sunlight outside of Moria. It had been years since he had seen the sun. He put his sunglasses on again.  
"This is not right." said Mayathir, pacing back and forth.  
Lorathir smirked. "Don't have to say that twice. I nearly got my ass shot off."  
Mayathir stepped up to Uglakh and talked right into his face. "The Nazgul should not have been able to find us. They walked into the bar knowing that we would be there. Why do you think that is, Uglakh?"  
Uglakh took a step back. "You accuse me of something?"  
"I think you're hiding something from us." said Mayathir, taking a step forward to close the distance between them.  
"I not hiding anything." said Uglakh, pushing him away.  
Mayathir drew back a fist, but Lorathir caught it. "This is not the time." said Lorathir.  
"I think Mayathir might have a point." said Jimmy. "What did you do with the ring when you found it?"  
"I put it in locked drawer in my computer desk."  
"Are you sure that's what you did? Do you remember opening the drawer, placing the ring inside, closing the drawer, turning the key in the lock?"  
"Yes, I... I don't know."  
"Check your pockets." said Mayathir.  
Uglakh reached his hand into his left pocket and it came out empty.  
"Your other one."  
Uglakh began to reach for his right pocket but it was difficult to make his hand complete the movement. A sudden anger rose inside him.  
"Why you make me look through my pockets? You not trust me?"  
Jimmy walked toward him slowly. "I'm going to walk up to you, nice and slow, and put my hand in your pocket."  
Uglakh's forehead began to sweat. He resisted the urge to push Jimmy away. Jimmy put his hand in Uglakh's pocket and suddenly vanished.  
"What the fuck?" gasped Lorathir.  
Jimmy reappeared a second later, holding a golden ring in his hand.  
"You bastard." Mayathir fumed at Uglakh. "You lying bastard. You've been hiding the ring from us all this time. I knew that I couldn't trust you!"  
Uglakh stared at the ring, confused. "I not know! I think I have leave it at home! How it get there?"  
"Hold on!" said Jimmy. "Before we get too carried away, remember that the ring has an effect on thoughts. It's quite possible that the ring tricked Uglakh to believe he wasn't carrying it. Let's not jump to any conclusions."  
Mayathir opened his mouth to say something, but just groaned in frustration. Lorathir looked at everyone in the group like he was trapped in a room full of mental patients.  
"Okay, uh... what?" said Lorathir. "Does anyone say anything that makes any kind of sense anymore? Who the fuck were those invincible guys that tried to kill us? What the fuck is the ring and am I going completely bonkers or did the halfling just fucking DISAPPEAR in front of my eyes there?"  
"It's a long story." said Mayathir.  
"Well, we got a long walk." said Jimmy. "Let's get to Gandalf in Lothlorien as soon as possible. Whatever is going on between us, whatever questions remain, let's just save them for Lothlorien where they can be answered. Agreed?"  
Lorathir sighed. "Agreed."  
"Agreed." said Uglakh, glaring at Mayathir.  
Mayathir glared back at Uglakh, then hesitantly agreed as well.  
  
-  
  
Jeff, Naeronel, and Gandalf sat beside each other at a bar on the top deck of the Numenorean Star cruise ship.  
"Bartender, give me a Northfarthing ale on the rocks." said Gandalf.  
The bartender slid the drink across the bar into Gandalf's hand.  
"Now this is the only way to travel." said Jeff. "This and by helicopter of course. Damn, I miss my old bird. I had some good memories in that copter."  
Naeronel patted him on the back. "There, there, little Jeffy. It's okay. We'll just get you a new one."  
"I've already arranged a replacement helicopter for you in Lothlorien. Same make and model." said Gandalf.  
"It won't be the same though."  
Jeff looked at Gandalf for a couple of seconds and shook his head.  
"What is it?" asked Gandalf.  
"I just can't believe it. You're... you're Gandalf."  
"Yes..."  
"I mean... THE Gandalf. That's just like, wow."  
"What a surprise." said Naeronel, rolling her eyes. "Gandalf is Gandalf. Whoa."  
"Hey, I knew two Gandalfs in highschool. It's kind of a common name."  
Naeronel scratched her head. "Gandalfs? Wouldn't it be Gandalves?"  
"Sure." said Jeff with a smile. "Dwarf turns into Dwarves, Elf turns into Elves, why can't multiple Gandalfs be Gandalves?"  
They both broke down into laughter. Naeronel accidentally spilled some of her drink on her shirt.  
"Aw, nuts." said Naeronel. "Guys, 'scuse me while I go back to the room and change."  
Jeff watched as she walked off. He looked at Gandalf who was smiling at him.  
"There you go again with that weird smile. What's on your mind, G?"  
"Nothing of importance now, although I have a good idea of what's on your mind."  
"Oh, so now you're reading my mind. That one of your magical powers?"  
"No, but after living for a couple of millenia you begin to notice patterns in people's behaviours. You begin to notice certain ...looks that people give each other, and what results from that. And I think I've seen some of that between you and Naeronel." Gandalf took a sip of his ale.  
Jeff laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? I barely know her. Besides, she's an elf. She could be like 500 years old for all I know. Not interested. No way."  
Gandalf smiled. "Then why did you blush when I mentioned her?"  
Jeff raised his finger, about to say something in his defense, then stopped. "All right, you got me."  
"Score one for the wizard." said Gandalf, finishing off his Ale.  
"So..." said Jeff slowly. "You think I... you know... have a chance? ...Or something?"  
Gandalf laughed. "I still haven't lived long enough to figure things like that out. All I can say is good luck. And remember: chicks like confidence."  
"Thanks, G." said Jeff.  
"Stop calling me th..." suddenly Gandalf's face grew pale, his expression somewhat worried.  
"What is it?" asked Jeff.  
"I sensed something. A feeling of intense dread in the pit of my stomach. It came suddenly." Gandalf reached into his pocket. "Nope. It was just my cellphone. I had it set to 'vibrate'." He brought the phone to his ear.  
  
-  
  
"Gandalf here." came the voice on the phone.  
"Hey, Gandalf. It's Jimmy. We're out of Moria, on the way to Lothlorien. Should be there by this afternoon."  
"Did you retrieve the ring from Udun already?"  
"Good news, and sorta bad news." said Jimmy. "We figured out why the Nazgul were homing in on us like a heat-seeking missile. Turns out that Uglakh had the ring on him this whole time."  
"Excellent." responded Gandalf. "However, be careful. The enemy may have spies at work in Lothlorien. Tell Mayathir to find the back door. He'll know what you are talking about. We will arrive there later in the evening."  
"Thanks. Seeya later."  
Jimmy hung up and looked at Mayathir. "What do you know about a back door in Lothlorien?"  
"There is a branch office of Mithrandir Corporation in Lothlorien..."  
Suddenly Lorathir burst out into laughter. "Ha! That's classic. A Lothlorien 'Branch'! ha ha ha ha!"  
"Are you finished?" shot Mayathir.  
Lorathir waved him off and stifled his giggles.  
"Anyway, there is a secondary entrance to the building, but we have to go under Lothlorien to get to it. Follow me."  
  
They walked down along the Silverlode river, until they were clear of the Misty Mountains, and saw the city of Lothlorien in the distance to the east. It was a sight to behold, tall towers of earthly green and brown hues that seemed to float on top of the trees. Several of the buildings had large twisting roots spiraling around them in precise patterns to their tops. Quite a feat of high-tech architecture combined seamlessly with nature. A nature trail led through the woods of Lorien until they reached the edges of the city. A road led up a ramp supported by strategically placed trees of increasing height, and cars drove in and out through it.  
"We must go around the side of Lothlorien." said Mayathir. "That is where we can access its underside."  
He led them across the road, around the side of the city. It looked amazing, even from this close. The entire city was supported about 40 feet in the air by the giant, thick Mallorn trees. All around the edge of Lothlorien was a large chainlink fence with barbed wire on the top and signs reading "Lothlorien maintenance level. No unauthorized personnel allowed."  
Mayathir found a part of the fence with a locked door, and quickly pulled out a key. They entered through the door, which Mayathir locked behind them. As they walked deeper into Lothlorien's ground level, they saw more of how the infrastructure of the city in the trees worked. Wooden roadways stretched in between the trees, supported by networks of vines. They could see how the roads slightly flexed with every car that drove over them. Many of the large buildings used the Mallorn trees as their central support. Since the buildings and roads blocked the sun out, the whole area underneath was lit by thousands of ultraviolet lights built into the undersides of the buildings. Sewer pipes led into the trees where the waste would be distributed as a fertilizer to keep the trees growing strong.  
"Come on." said Lorathir impatiently. "Let's get to this office building before these fucking lights give me skin cancer."  
Mayathir approached a particularly thick tree and looked at the underside of the building on it. A security camera stared down at them.  
"Everyone wave hi to the camera!" said Mayathir.  
They all looked up and waved. A square panel in the bottom of the building opened up, and a rope ladder lowered itself. They climbed up, one by one, into a small square room with another security camera. The rope ladder retracted itself, and the panel slid back into place.  
"What now?" asked Jimmy.  
A door to the room opened, and an elf stepped in. "Good day, everyone." said the elf. "Welcome to the Lothlorien branch of Mithrandir corporation. My name is Elrond." 


	10. Chapter 10 Many More Meetings

CHAPTER 10 - Many More Meetings  
  
Ghashburz walked away from the window, wondering why Khazad-Dûm seemed to be in so much chaos. He could hear the gunfire from his home all day. All things considered, it didn't really ease his worries.  
  
Ghashburz stared at his laptop's screen intently, trying to spot out any flaws in the plan. Everything seemed to work all right. The 3-dimensional floor plan of their target was from the original blueprints of the building. It was a 10-year-old building so things might be a little different, but he was sure he and Aiwen could improvise with any changes in the layout. The route they would take was clearly outlined and calculated to be the best probability of success. But the first part of the mission was what worried him...  
Aiwen stepped out of the bathroom wearing a towel, her hair still wet from her shower. "Are you still playing with your little toy, Ghash?"  
Ghashburz sighed. "This little toy could mean the difference between success and failure. You do realize that our chances of success are only around 90 percent..."  
"Ghash, baby, that computer doesn't know shit. When we walk in there it's gonna be pure chaos, and no program is gonna be able to replace elvish - uh, and orcish - intuition and reflexes. Our killing experience cannot be summed up in a fucking mathematical formula. Just turn it off and stop worrying about it. Geez, you've been so stressed lately."  
Ghashburz shook his head. "It's not just that. It's this whole mission. Two million dollars each. Doesn't that sound a bit much to you?"  
Aiwen laughed. "No, it sounds like just the right amount."  
"What if our employer is lying to us? What if he doesn't expect us to walk out alive when we're finished? You ever thought of that?"  
"Then he'd be taking an even bigger risk." answered Aiwen. "He'd lose two of his greatest assets, and if we survived then he'd gain two formidable enemies."  
"I wouldn't be too confident. You have to realize that there is some kind of enormous game being played out right now and we are nothing but pawns."  
"Pawns who will be four million dollars richer if we don't chicken out. Listen, I'm going to take this towel off, walk into the bedroom, and lie down on the bed. You can continue playing with your toy all alone or you can come with me. The choice is yours."  
Her towel dropped to the floor. He stared at her naked body for a second, then turned his computer off.  
  
-  
  
The lobby of the Mithrandir office building in Lothlorien was a sight to see. The building was cylindrical in shape, built around the trunk of a large Mallorn. Three elevator shafts were around a section of the trunk, which was sealed off in glass. Several smaller trees were around the circumfrence of the lobby, acting as support pillars. They seemed to grow straight out of the marble floor. Many people, mostly elves, in business suits were walking in and out of the revolving doors at the front.  
  
Elrond led the group to the elevators in the center.  
"You arrived earlier than we expected. That is a very good thing indeed, since time is against us. Gandalf will be arriving later this evening, but for now there is someone you should meet."  
Jimmy couldn't help but look up in awe as they reached the elevators. Every level of the building was open on the inside, so from the middle he could see all the way to the glass skylight at the top of the building.  
"Thirty floors." said Elrond, reading Jimmy's expression. "We're the second tallest building in Lothlorien, but that's only because Palantir Wireless Communications has a thirty foot high antenna on its roof."  
  
They crowded into the elevator with several elves and took it up to the tenth floor. Jimmy made it a point not to look out the window as it went upward; hobbits and heights really weren't a good match. When they stepped out they were greeted by a dwarf wearing a white lab coat.  
"Pleased to meet ya." said the dwarf, bowing to Uglakh. "Name's Gralin. I'm head of the scientific research division. Follow me."  
They followed him down the hallway to a door with a keypad. Gralin punched in a few numbers and the door opened. They entered into a laboratory filled with strange machines and chemicals that only Gralin could identify. Gralin turned around and faced Uglakh.  
"So, I hear you have a little something to show me." he said, stroking his beard.  
"What?" said Uglakh.  
Gralin leaned in closer. "The ring, I mean."  
Uglakh placed his hand over his pocket instinctively. "Why you want to see it?"  
"It's all right." said Elrond. "You can trust him."  
Gralin giggled. "I'll just be doin' a few little tests on it, I'll not even touch it with my grubby fingers. And ya can have 'er right back when I'm done with 'er."  
Uglakh slowly brought the ring out, fighting back a sudden urge to put on the ring and run away with it.  
"Hold on a second there." said Gralin. He ran into his office, and quickly returned with a heavy metal box. "Put 'er in here."  
Uglakh reached forward, and after a moment's hesitation finally let it drop into the box. Suddenly he felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. The ring was out of his grip and he desparately wanted it back. He was about to reach for it when Gralin snapped the lid shut. All of a sudden the feeling lost its grip on him, like an immense weight off his shoulders.  
"Feelin' better now?" asked Gralin.  
"Yes." said Uglakh. He was speechless.  
Gralin pulled out a notepad and a stubby pencil and began scribbling on it. "Excellent. Excellent. Great. My little theory was right. This here box is made of solid lead. Perfect to block any kinda signal she's transmitting to yer head. Excuse me gentlemen, but I've got work to do. Pleased to meet y'all."  
Within a few moments Uglakh realized that the ring's hold hadn't completely been blocked. It was still present, but muted, like music from behind a wall.   
  
They left the lab and took the elevator up to the 29th floor, which was a revolving restaurant with an amazing view of Lothlorien.  
A waitress approached them. "Elrond! Your table is ready. Follow me, please."  
They sat down at the table, next to the window. The sun was beginning to set in the west.  
"Excuse me," said Elrond. "But I have some business to attend to. I will join you soon. For now, just relax and enjoy the fine elvish cuisine."  
Elrond left the table. Lorathir looked around the restaurant and shook his head.  
"Fancy restaurant, expensive food, lame classical music playing in the background... This is not the kind of place I expected to be today."  
"Elrond's paying, if that makes you feel better." said Mayathir.  
Lorathir picked up his menu and tried to decipher the fancy elvish names of meals.  
Jimmy leaned back in his chair, which was taller than the others because of his stature. "I suppose they wouldn't have any hobbit-style ale from the Shire here. I could really go for a mug of that right now."  
Uglakh nodded in agreement. Maybe it would help him keep his mind off the ring.  
"Just wondering," said Jimmy to Mayathir. "You and Lorathir are brothers? Don't mean to pry but you're an elf and he's human? How does that work out?"  
"We're half-brothers. My father was an elf, and my mother was human. She married a man after he died and then had Lorathir."  
"Yep," said Lorathir. "As much as long-ear here hates to admit it, he's half human."  
"I would never have guessed." said Jimmy.  
Uglakh silently wondered to himself why Lorathir was so racist, despite his own mixed blood. Perhaps the question would be answered some day.  
  
-  
  
"We're almost there." came Gandalf's voice from the front seat of the limousine. "I can see the building from here."  
Jeff looked out the window. "Man, I always love going to Lothlorien. It's just so different from all the big cities. You ever been there, Naeronel?"  
"I spent twenty years of my life there." she said. She read Jeff's expression after that. "If you're trying to figure out my age, I'm not gonna tell you."  
"Just curious." said Jeff as nonchalantly as possible.  
"Anyway," she continued. "That was where I went to college, got my computer science degree. It's really a great place to live. Hardly any pollution, just about everyone is nice. True, some of the full-blooded elves there can be a bit snobby, but they generally keep to themselves anyway."  
  
"Roll up your windows." said Gandalf. "We don't want anyone to recognize our faces when we drive in there."  
They drove through the flexible wooden streets of Lothlorien and went around to the underground parking lot where Elrond was waiting for them.  
"If Gandalf is Gandalf, I suppose that Elrond is Elrond as well." said Jeff, slightly in disbelief.  
"Makes sense to me." said Naeronel.  
"Come to think of it, he looks almost exactly like the guy who played him in that Lord of the Rings movie."  
  
They joined the others at the table in the restaurant and Elrond stood up.  
"Friends from distant lands," he began. "We have all gathered together for a council, as did the original fellowhip a millenium ago. Tomorrow we shall all discuss the important matters at great length, but we have all had difficulty getting here, so I invite you all to relax and enjoy our hospitality. Though darkness may be falling upon us once more, tonight we celebrate this long expected meeting." He raised his glass of wine. "To the fellowship!"  
They all raised their glasses save for Lorathir, who still didn't really understand what was going on. 


End file.
